1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lid opening and closing apparatus formed in a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to protect a charging port of a power feeding apparatus for an electric automobile, a lid is openably and closably provided to the charging port. When a power feeding operation is performed, the lid is opened to a fully opened state, and needs to be held in the fully opened state so as not be closed during the power feeding operation. A conventionally known example of such a support structure of the opened state of the lid includes a hood support structure for an automobile disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-313357.
In addition, a hood hinge structure for a vehicle is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-161076. In the hood hinge structure for the vehicle, a hood hinge of a four-bar linkage is configured by: a hood-side bracket attached to a lower surface of a rear end portion of a hood; a vehicle body-side bracket attached to a vehicle body member; a first link having an upper portion which is turnably supported by the hood-side bracket and a lower portion which is rotatably supported by the vehicle body-side bracket; and a second link which is longer than the first link and has a rear portion which is turnably supported by the hood-side bracket and a front portion which is rotatably supported by the vehicle body-side bracket, and the hood is openably and closably attached to the vehicle body member by means of the hood hinge thus configured.
In the hood hinge structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-161076, the hood-side bracket includes: a hood attachment portion attached to the hood; a first link attachment portion which is formed at an outer edge of the hood attachment portion in a vehicle width direction, and rotatably supports the upper portion of the first link; and a second link attachment portion which is formed at an inner edge of the hood attachment portion in the vehicle width direction, and rotatably supports the rear portion of the second link. The vehicle body-side bracket includes: a base portion attached to the vehicle body member; a first link attachment portion which is formed at an outer edge of the base portion in the vehicle width direction, and rotatably supports the lower portion of the first link; and a second link attachment portion which is formed at an inner edge of the base portion in the vehicle width direction, and rotatably supports the front portion of the second link. Then, in the hood-side bracket, the second link attachment portion formed in the hood-side bracket is formed on a front side of the vehicle body with respect to the first link attachment portion.
In the hood support structure for the automobile disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-313357, an operation of hooking a support rod needs to be performed while a hood is held in an opened state. Therefore, an operator is required to use both hands, and it is inconvenient in the case where the operator performs an operation while having a power feeder in one hand. In addition, with regard to the hood hinge structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-161076, a mechanism which holds the hood in the opened state is not disclosed.